My Friends Call Me Jean, But My Mum Prefers Susan
by bonziwriter
Summary: Movieverse. The events of Malfoy Manor left the Golden Trio considerably shaken, especially Hermione. But when Remus comes in the middle of the night, begging her to help save the world she never thought she'd be able to go back to, how can she say no? And how will she ever explain to Harry and Ron that she used to spend her summer holidays ruling a country?


I woke up to Fleur's gentle shake, who was frowning slightly. "Remus wants to speak to you downstairs."

I nodded my head blearily and sat up, pushing off the covers and sliding out of the bed. Fleur turned to leave and I followed her out of the room, being careful to not disturb Harry and Ron. It wasn't an easy task, as they had curled up on the floor between the bed and door, acting, i assumed, as makeshift guards to protect me from the outside world. Both had their wands gripped tightly, even as they lay sleeping. It brought a sad smile to my lip to see how desperate they were to protect me, as if they could have stopped the events that transpired at Malfoy Manor if they had simply tried harder.

Remus and Bill were sitting at the dining room table when I came down the stairs. I glanced at the clock, which read midnight. Remus looked up, clearly troubled. He looked so different from the carefree man who had sat in the same chair celebrating his unborn son only days ago.

"What is it, Remus?" I asked as I approached him.

He didn't answer me immediately, instead turning to Fleur and Bill. "Would you mind if I spoke to Hermione privately?"

Fleur frowned and looked ready to object, but Bill touched her shoulder gently and said, "Of course. We'll be upstairs, let us know if you need anything."

Remus sat silently, pinching his nose until the click of their bedroom door signified their absence. I sat, waiting expectantly, and he did not disappoint. "I'm sorry to have to do this to you, Hermione. I know you're still healing, and this certainly won't be an easy task for you."

"What is it?" I repeated, growing anxious. What could possibly be so difficult for him to ask of me.

"Death Eaters have gone to Narnia to persuade King Caspian and your brothers to allow them to set up a base there. They want somewhere to plan attacks, and, should they need it, somewhere to regroup if -when- they are defeated here in England."

"Peter and Edmund are back in Narnia?" I whispered, the words stuck in my throat. "And Lucy?"

Remus nodded. "We don't believe she is involved in the negotiations."

"No, she's too young… she was always more of the diplomat than the negotiator anyway…" I trailed off, lost in thought. A million questions burned in my brain. But one surfaced above the rest, my practical side shining through. "But what does this have to do with me? I'm no longer involved in Narnia politics. Besides, Peter and Cas-" his name felt foreign after months of refusing to even think it- "..pian would never allow outsiders to make a military camp within Narnia."

"Normally not. But the Death Eaters are persuasive. We believe that they are painting us as the enemy, and, furthermore," Remus paused, looking at me warily. He took a breath, "We have reason to believe they are telling them that the Order was responsible for your injury." He glanced pointedly at my arm.

I looked down at my left forearm, concealed under a soft sweater, and below that, a thick layer of bandages. "What am I supposed to do from here? I have no influence in England."

"I need you to come back to Narnia. Now, tonight. There's a ball going on, and the Death Eaters are going to be there, trying to persuade them to close the deal. You need to come and tell your brothers and King Caspian the truth. It's the only way they'll believe it."

My heart stopped. Go back to Narnia? Go back to the place where my heart had been at perfect peace, then subsequently ripped out of my chest and torn into a thousand shreds? And Caspian would be there… it had been about a year and half since I'd last seen him, but…

"How long has it been in Narnia, Remus? Since I left?"

"Three years."

Was that a long enough time to forget the feelings we'd had? Probably not for me, but who knows where Caspian's heart lay…

"Hermione, we have to go now. The Death Eaters could already be there, and we have to keep them from getting the Narnians to agreeing to anything."

I nodded and stood up. "Of course I'll go, it's not even a question… Do you know how to…" I trailed off, unsure of how to finish the sentence. Did Remus know how to get to Narnia? I assumed he did, many witches and wizards knew how to travel between worlds. I, however, was not allowed to have that privilege. I had too much influence in other worlds to be trusted unsupervised.

Remus nodded. "We'll have to step outside of Bill and Fleur's apparation perimeter, but after that it won't be a problem."

"Harry and Ron will go crazy once they realize I'm gone."

"You shouldn't be there longer than an hour, they'll still be asleep when you come back."

An hour in Narnia, I thought. Just enough time to break my heart one last time. I scribbled a quick note explaining to Fleur and Bill that I would be gone -though I hardly specified where- and followed Remus outside. Once we stepped past the perimeter, he took my hand, and with a slight spin of the heels, we were gone.

When the world next came into focus, I was on a small, cobbled street. Looking up I saw a sight I never believed I would see again- the Telmarine castle, glistening with light and clearly in the middle of a celebration. My heart twinged with regret as I remembered I was there, not as a glistening queen but as a member of the Order with a desperate mission to save both of the countries I loved.

Remus cleared his throat, breaking my thoughts. I turned towards him, and saw a small group of Order members assembled. Among them, I recognized Charlie Weasley, who came over to whisper, "You never mentioned the part where you were a queen!"

A small smile crossed my lips. "To be fair, you never asked."

"Where'd you get the name Susan though?"

"It's my middle name." I whispered back.

"I thought you said it was Jean."

"Fred and George used to call themselves Gred and Feorge, is there really any difference?"

Charlie chuckled, but our conversation was cut short by Remus. "Change into this," he said, handing me a dress.

I went behind one of the buildings and quickly changed. It was a ball gown made up in the Narnian style, nothing as grand as the ones I wore when I was queen, but more than adequate for attending a royal ball.

When I walked back over to the group, Remus looked me over. "Good, now you'll blend in." He pulled out his wand and tapped it in my direction. "A concealment charm," he explained. "Only members of the Order and King Peter and King Caspian will recognize you."

"What about Edmund and Lucy?" I asked, hurrying to catch up as the group began watching.

"They're not involved with the negotiations. There's no reason for them to know you are here," Remus said. I nodded mutely, trying to mend the crack I could already feel forming in my chest. Charlie came beside me and squeezed my hand sympathetically, and I focused on the sound of our footsteps until we reached the castle gates.

It was like stepping into a dream, being back. I was overwhelmed with emotions and memories-so many memories- as we walked into the ballroom. It was lit brightly and the ball was in full swing, the room packed with dancing couples and a busy, happy chatter.

"Look for King Peter and King Caspian. We need to talk to them before the Death Eaters do. Call Hermione over when you find them. And remember, they call her Susan."

The group nodded in assent and split up. I stood there for a second, marveling at how my two worlds were colliding. How did this ever happen? I thought at least Narnia would remain untainted by Death Eaters, but now here they were, using me as their way in. I shook my head and began scanning the room. There was no sign of Peter, Caspian, or the Death Eaters.

I began walking around the room slowly, studying the faces of the dancers and those on the sides. Edmund was spinning Lucy around on the dance floor, and they were laughing. It was mesmerizing and, for a moment, I could see them as outsiders saw us. No wonder they were enthralled by the Narnian royalty, Lucy and Edmund's youth and vigor was captivating. I turned away from the sight, vowing to focus on the mission, the big picture. I frowned, it was clear that Peter and Caspian were no longer in the room.

If we were too late, and they were already in conference with the Death Eaters, it would hardly be conducted in the ballroom. They would be in the map room. I turned and exited the party, walking down the familiar hallways. I stopped at the corner before the map room and peered around the wall. Sure enough, there was a Death Eater standing guard in front of the room, whose doors were closed. A silent Stunning spell took care of the death eater, and I slipped down the hall.

I paused at the door. If memory served, a row of columns stood behind the main doors. It would be easy to slip in undetected and assess the situation. My hand was on the handle before I remembered the Order. Stepping back from the door, I quietly conjured a Patronus. "I found them in the map room. Come quickly," I whispered.

My silvery otter slipped away, and I was left with nothing to do but wait. I was resigned to do the right thing, to wait for Remus to explain. I was here on his orders after all, and even if that wasn't the case, I had no idea how many Death Eaters would be inside that room. It would be potential suicide to walk in there alone.

I was resolved. But then I heard, through the door, Peter's raised voice. I pressed my ear against the door to try and hear his words clearly.

"But why would Susan put herself in danger in the first place? She's not one to take unnecessary risks, she wouldn't do anything unless there was a good reason," he said.

"It was not her doing, Your Majesty. The Order of the Phoenix has unsavory intentions, and they thought someone of her youth and beauty would make a good target," a voice replied. Slimy Death Eater, I thought to myself.

"And you are sure these are not just rumors? She is truly in danger?" Caspian's voice sounded worried. My heart did a flip that was not entirely appropriate.

There was no reply, and I pressed my ear even harder to the door, desperate to catch the next strain of the conversation. Then, all of a sudden, there was a piercing, heartbreaking shriek. I jumped back from the door and covered my mouth to keep myself from screaming. Then a voice, sobbing, "Please, we found it… in the woods…"

It was my voice. In Malfoy Manor. If Peter and Caspian were not convinced before, they would certainly be up in arms by now. I had to intervene quickly, before they agreed to something rash, or worse, before the Death Eater had them make an Unbreakable Vow of allegiance.

I mustered up every bit of strength I had in my heart and opened the door. There, in the middle of the room, was what looked like an enlarged pensieve, and I was in it, lying on the floor sobbing. Blood was pouring out of my left arm and I was holding it in a desperate attempt to block the pain. My hair was in disarray, splayed messily under my head, and my face was red and drenched in tears. Had I truly looked so broken? Peter and Caspian were completely engrossed in watching this battered version of me, and even the Death Eater did not turn, the sound of my sobs cancelling out the noise of the opening door. I was happy to note, however, that he seemed to be the only wizard in the room.

All of this I took in in under a second, before I pointed my wand directly at the Pensieve and said, "Reducto."

The picture of me screaming shattered into a million pieces, and all eyes turned to me. I did not dare look at Peter or Caspian, but instead focused on the Death Eater. Drawing myself up, I said, "It appears, you have been spreading misinformation about my well-being. As you can clearly see, I am not in any imminent danger, especially not because of the Order of the Phoenix."

His face fell slack with surprise before he could compose himself. I gave him a small smile as I stepped further into the room, flicking my wand to close the doors behind me. "You must be quite surprised to see me. Did you not hear that we had escaped Malfoy Manor? Surely someone told you. Or perhaps you were simply not expecting to see me here?" I left the question hanging in the air. The Death Eater's surprise gone, his face twisted maliciously, and anyone that saw him could quickly deduce that he had wasted no time worrying about my well-being.

"Don't worry," I continued. "The rest of the Order will be here soon to answer any questions you may have. And we were hoping you could help answer a few of our own questions."

With an agitated snarl, the Death Eater waved his wand, sending a wall of fire towards me. Peter and Caspian jumped back in horror, but I calmly flicked my wand, deflecting the fire to the side. Now was not the time to lose my composure.

"I won't be taken in my a Mudblood like you," the Death Eater said.

"Then maybe a Blood-Traitor will be more to your liking," a voice said from behind me. "Expelliarmus." The Death Eater's wand flew out of his hand, and I didn't even have to turn around to know that the voice came from a stocky redhead. More feet shuffled behind me, and I knew the rest of the Order had arrived.


End file.
